Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.
Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains an understanding of his or her world through the interaction of genetic and learned factors. Among the areas of cognitive development are information processing, intelligence, reasoning, language development, and memory.
Historically, the cognitive development of children has been studied in a variety of ways. The oldest is through intelligence tests, such as the widely used Stanford Binet Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test first adopted for use in the United States by psychologist Lewis Terman (1877–1956) in 1916 from a French model pioneered in 1905. IQ scoring is based on the concept of "mental age," according to which the scores of a child of average intelligence match his or her age, while a gifted child's performance is comparable to that of an older child, and a slow learner's scores are similar to those of a younger child. IQ tests are widely used in the United States, but they have come under increasing criticism for defining intelligence too narrowly and for being biased about race and gender.
2. Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-
making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.
Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of his or her world through the
interaction of genetic and learned factors. Among the areas of cognitive development are information processing,
intelligence , reasoning, language development , and memory.
Historically, the cognitive development of children has been studied in a variety of ways. The oldest is through intelligence
tests, such as the widely used Stanford Binet Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test first adopted for use in the United States by
psychologist Lewis Terman (1877–1956) in 1916 from a French model pioneered in 1905. IQ scoring is based on the
concept of "mental age," according to which the scores of a child of average intelligence match his or her age, while a gifted
child's performance is comparable to that of an older child, and a slow learner's scores are similar to those of a younger
child. IQ tests are widely used in the United States, but they have come under increasing criticism for defining intelligence
too narrowly and for being biased with regard to race and gender.
5. Sensorimotor Stage
Children at the sensorimotor stage are explorers. They
want to see, hear, taste, and touch everything around
them. They generally don’t appear to be thinking about
what they do – no obvious rationale underlies their
motives.Children at this stage are reveling in sensory
experience and enjoying their rapidly-improving abilities
to move around and take in new experiences.
Sensory stimuli are paired up with voluntary motor
responses, and sensory/body coordination is
established. Syntax and grammar have not yet been
developed, and relations between concepts are vaguely
understood at best.
6. Preoperational Stage
During this stage of cognitive development, children become
insatiably curious and begin to ask questions about everything
they see. They can imagine people or objects that do not exist
(such as a lizard with wings) more readily than younger
children, and they like to make up their own games.According
to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, children at this
stage understand object permanence, but they still don’t get
the concept of conservation. They don’t understand that
changing a substance’s appearance doesn’t change its
properties or quantity.In one experiment, Piaget poured the
exact same amount of water into two identical glasses and
asked children whether the glasses contained the same
amount of water. The children said that both glasses contained
the same amount of water. Piaget then poured the water in
one glass into a tall, narrow beaker and repeated the question.
This time, the children said there was more water in the
cylinder because it was taller.
7.
8. Concrete Operational Stage
By the time they are 7 years old, children can understand
much more complex abstract concepts, such as time, space,
and quantity. They can apply these concepts to concrete
situations, but they have trouble thinking about them
independently of those situations.
As Jean Piaget pointed out in his theory of cognitive
development, the children’s ideas about time and space are
sometimes inconsistent at this stage, but a basic logic is
present that governs their cognitive operations. Children can
learn rules fairly easily, but they may have trouble
understanding the logical implications of those rules in
unusual situations.
9. Formal Operations Stage
At this stage of cognitive development, formal logic becomes
possible and verbal explanations of concepts are usually sufficient
without demonstration. Strategy-based games become more
enjoyable, whereas rote games like “chutes-and-ladders” become
repetitive.
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development has been the subject of
some criticism over the years, particularly from cross-cultural
psychologists who question whether Piaget’s stages are unique to
Western children. However, it has fared considerably better than
Freud’s. Piaget’s stages of cognitive development have been the
basis for a number of other famous psychological ideas, including
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development.
11. Piaget’s Theory of Moral Development
Moral development is the process through which children develop proper attitudes and behaviors toward other people in
society, based on social and cultural norms, rules, and laws. According to Piaget's original formulation, children between
the ages of 5 and 10 years see the world through the lens of a "heteronomous" (other-directed) morality. In this moral
understanding, rules handed down by authority figures (such as parents, teachers and government leaders) are seen as
absolute and unbreakable. Basically, children accept that authority figures have godlike powers, and are able to make
rules that last forever, do not change, and must be followed. Children's reasoning regarding why these rules should be
followed is generally based squarely upon their appreciation of consequences associated with breaking the rules. As
breaking the rules tends to lead to negative personal consequences, most children follow the rules as a way to avoid
being punished.
12.
13. According to Piaget….
As children develop the ability to put themselves into someone else's shoes, their appreciation of morality becomes more
autonomous (self-directed) and less black and white and absolutist in nature. Piaget called this expanded appreciation a
"morality of cooperation". Starting at about age 10 or 11 and continuing through adolescence, children will have generally
begun to view moral rules as socially-agreed upon guidelines designed to benefit the group. Children using this frame of
reference still feel that it is important to follow rules, but these rules are viewed as complex, somewhat negotiable
guidelines that are meant to improve everyone's lives. Children realize that making choices about following the rules should
be based on something more than fear of negative personal consequences or desire for individual gain. Decisions affect
everyone; and can benefit and/or hurt everyone.
Piaget found two main differences in how children thought about moral behavior. Very young children's thinking is based on
how actions affected them or what the results of an action were. For example, young children will say that when trying to
reach a forbidden cookie jar, breaking 10 cups is worse than breaking one. They also recognize the sanctity of rules. For
example, they understand that they cannot make up new rules to a game; they have to play by what the rule book says or
what is commonly known to be the rules. Piaget called this "moral realism with objective responsibility." It explains why
young children are concerned with outcomes rather than intentions.
14. Continue..
Piaget's Stages of Moral Development link:
https://youtu.be/uH9bGgEGO3I
https://youtu.be/94aSZB4Z6Xw
https://youtu.be/trLFUxqQX3k
15. Common Problem
Cognitive impairment is the general loss or lack of development of cognitive abilities, particularly autism and learning
disabilities. The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) describes learning disabilities as a disorder that affects people's
ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can
show up in many ways, such as specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, or attention.
Such difficulties extend to schoolwork and can impede learning to read or write or to do math. A child who has a learning
disability may have other conditions, such as hearing problems or serious emotional disturbance. However, learning
disabilities are not caused by these conditions, nor are they caused by environmental influences such as cultural differences
or inappropriate instruction.
16. Parental Concerns
As of 2004 it is widely accepted that a child's intellectual ability is determined by a combination of heredity and environment.
Thus, although a child's genetic inheritance is unchangeable, there are definite ways that parents can enhance their child's
intellectual development through environmental factors. They can provide stimulating learning materials and experiences
from an early age, read to and talk with their children, and help children explore the world around them. As children mature,
parents can both challenge and support the child's talents. Although a supportive environment in early childhood provides a
clear advantage for children, it is possible to make up for early losses in cognitive development if a supportive environment
is provided at some later period, in contrast to early disruptions in physical development, which are often irreversible.
17. When Parents call the Doctor
When to call the doctor
If, by age three, a child has problems understanding simple directions or is perplexed when asked to do something simple,
the parents or primary caregiver should consult a physician or pediatrician. The child may have a delay in cognitive
development. Parents should also consult a healthcare professional if, after age three, their child's cognitive development
appears to be significantly slower than their peers.
18. Conclusion
Research into cognitive development has shown us that minds don’t just form according to a uniform
blueprint or innate intellect, but through a combination of influencing factors. For instance, if we want our
kids to have a strong grasp of language we could concentrate on phonemic awareness early on. If we
want them to be good at math and science we could engage them in numerical games and activities early
on. Perhaps most importantly, we no longer think of brains as empty vessels waiting to be filled up with
knowledge but as adaptable organs that develop all the way through early adulthood.